


Study Date

by liionne



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Library, Kinda, M/M, Making Out, POV Bucky Barnes, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Strangers to Lovers, buildings named after marvel characters, everyone is in exam season hell, what's the opposite of slow burn lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-05-04 02:43:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14583177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liionne/pseuds/liionne
Summary: "I, uh," Bucky holds up the bag of pastries, shows it to Cheekbones, who looks from Bucky to it and back again. This really is some Looney tunes shit. Okay, Barnes. Recover. "I see you here all the time, but - I mean, I have, like, a full Trader Joe's worth of snacks in this bag, and I never actually see you eat, so I thought - do you like croissants?""You got me a croissant?" Cheekbones asks, looking a little bewildered, but - pleased? Bucky hopes he's not imagining that, fuck."Yes." He replies, and promptly blushes."I - thanks." Cheekbones smiles softly. "You can, uh - you can sit, if you want. If you've not got plans."Bucky is pretty sure that the hot guy at the group tables lives in the library. One day he decides to find out.





	Study Date

**Author's Note:**

> My exams start in about two weeks, so I wrote this instead of studying! I seriously have no idea how American university works, so this is some horrible mismatch between american and british university life. Hope you enjoy!

Exam season is hitting everyone hard - that's just a fact. Bucky left the apartment yesterday to Dum Dum, who was drinking cold coffee out of the pot with a straw, and Moritia, who was sitting in a pile of blankets in the middle of the living room, only his eyes and his textbooks visible. He didn't even bat an eyelid. Dinals. They get to everyone.

He, personally, likes to think that he handles them a little better. He got up at 6am, he got dressed, and he gathered up all his things. Now he's off to the library on the other side of campus, with enough snacks to feed a small army and a refillable water bottle that he drunk-purchased on Amazon, proving that not only is he smart, but also really fucking boring.

The Carter library is a lot nicer than the Pym library, which is closer to Bucky's apartment and arguably more suitable, seeing as it's the Science and Engineering library, two subjects his major fully encompasses (Biomedical Engineering, it's right there in the title). The Pym library is kind of old and crumbly, because not a lot of the science and/or engineering students use it, preferring to steal each other's notes and read online PDFs. The Carter library, though an Arts and Humanities library and thus, inferior (according to pretty much every STEM student Bucky had ever met), has a lot more funding, mostly because people actually _use_  it. 

Anyway. It has nice tables and chairs and even a _cafe_ , and it's pleasantly quiet but not deathly silent, and Bucky likes it.

As he trudges in at 7am, walking towards the individual study areas, he notices someone sitting at one of the group study tables, various papers spread around him and his laptop. He has a half-empty cup of coffee in front of him, and he's frowning intently at his screen.

He's not the only one sitting in that space surrounded by papers and looking perplexed, but Bucky notices him because he's _really_  freaking cute. His shirt is maybe a tiny bit too small, but Bucky's not going to tell him that, cause getting an eyeful of his lithe muscles shifting beneath his shirt as he moves has made his entire day, and he's only been up for like, an hour. Cheekbones (which Bucky christens him once he gets a look at them, because _damn_ ) looks up at him, gaze landing on him like he can read Bucky's thoughts. He looks kind of tired, Bucky thinks, but he only briefly glances at him before glancing away, back down at his papers.

Right. Because it's finals season. And people have better things to do than stare at other hot people.

Bucky gets up at about 11 to get himself a coffee, but Cheekbones is gone; shame, truly, because Bucky was looking forward to getting a second look at him. Never mind; Bucky has bigger things to focus on anyway.

He works diligently, taking breaks every so often, stretching and going for wanders around the shelves of books he would never have even thought he would be interested in. _A Brief History of Ancient Rome, Sensations and Brain Processes, Democracy and Debate in American Politics._ Not normally his thing, no, but still interesting. Or maybe just interesting as a distraction from his Anatomy, Physiology and Bioethics notes - anything looks attractive in comparison to those.

Bucky is a day-time worker, not a night-time worker. He can't work if he doesn't sleep, and he can't sleep anywhere; he needs his own bed. So at 8pm he decides that enough is enough; he's been messing around on his phone for the past half an hour anyway, so he might as well just go.

On his way out, satchel slung over his shoulder and water bottle in one hand, he notices that Cheekbones is back, sitting at his desk with his laptop and collection of papers as if he'd never left. If he wasn't wearing a different shirt, and his hair didn't look a little fluffier than this morning, Bucky would think that he'd never left.

Whatever. He doesn't think too much of it, but he _does_  look at him for as long as he can without making it obvious. Who can blame a guy, truly?

~*~

The next morning when he wakes up, Falsworth is sitting on the kitchen counter, Moritia is under the table, and Dum Dum is half-hanging out the window. That one kind of worries Bucky, but he trusts the others to make sure nothing bad happens to him.

"Out again, Sarge?" Dum Dum asks.

Bucky rolls his eyes. You take the paintball a little too seriously one time and suddenly your friends are teasing you forever.

"Yeah." He says. "So don't wake up. And don't fall out the window, jesus."

"Maybe they'll suspend our exams if he falls." Falsworth murmurs, mostly to himself, but then he looks at Dum Dum with a dangerous look in his eyes.

Yeah, Bucky can't deal with this right now. He heads out the door, hoping to go he won't come back to people scraping Dum Dum off the pavement in twelve hours time.

~*~

Cheekbones is sitting in the exact same place as he was yesterday, wearing the shirt he had been wearing in the evening, a pale blue t-shirt that shows off those fucking gorgeous biceps. Bucky has yet to see his bottom half, but he has a good feeling about Cheekbones' ass. No one has a body like that and a flat ass, that's like... giving the mona lisa wonky eyebrows, or something. Bucky doesn't know. He doesn't think it matters.

He walks past, and Cheekbones looks at him briefly as he passes, just like before.

And just like the day before, Bucky works, fuelled by caffeine and dread, today working on his Tissue Engineering notes. He goes for another walk around lunchtime, just to stretch his legs, and decides to head down to the group work area, for no other reason than it's a nice walk. Lovely, mm hm. Down a very grand staircase, around some very nice bookshelves - and Cheekbones is gone, his table instead occupied by a gaggle of freshmen girls who look somewhat hysterical.

So Bucky goes back to his work, glancing out of the window every so often, just to give his eyes and his mind a break. He watches a squirrel for a while, but then at about 7pm, he glances out the window to see Cheekbones rocking up to the library, a backpack slung over his shoulders, his hair once again looking a lot softer and fluffier than it did that morning, now in a sweatshirt rather than a t-shirt. 

Bucky's starting to wonder if he lives at the library.

He looks at him as he leaves, around about the same time as yesterday. Cheekbones is still scribbling away, frowning every now and then, pouting at his notes. it's cute. so cute that Bucky almost walks into the revolving door on his way out. he thinks he hears the librarian snicker at him, but he refuses to acknowledge it.

~*~

Bucky continues like this for a week, going to the library every day, seeing Cheekbones every morning, and then again every evening. Bucky has deduced that he must study overnight, and presumably go to bed during the day. Most of Bucky's classes have already finished up, with most sessions being wrap-ups or study sessions, so he can only assume it's the same for Cheekbones, hence why he's become nocturnal.

On the monday after the first week, Bucky gets up even earlier than usual (who knew 5am existed?), and sneaks out of the apartment. Everyone is home, for a change, but Gabe and Dernier must have been in their rooms asleep, because it's only Falsworth, Moritia and Dum Dum in the living room, all passed out. Bucky can't blame them - it's really fucking early.

He has a reason for being so early, though: he ducks into the coffee shop he normally walks past to get to Carter, and buys a couple of pastries. Today he's being brave, see. He's going to talk to Cheekbones. Mostly because he's worried that he's not eating anything - Bucky has seen him ten times, now, and he has never once seen him eating anything. He's never seen any evidence of snacks either, not so much as a snickers wrapper, just that coffee cup. That's not healthy. Bucky's going to make sure he gets a good breakfast - he's nice like that.

He pushes into the library a whole hour earlier and sure enough, Cheekbones is there. Bucky walks over to him, making a beeline for his table rather than walking perpendicular to it like he normally does. Cheekbones glances up at him, glances away, and then does a double take that probably wouldn't be out of place in a Looney Tunes cartoon once he realises that Bucky is headed straight for him.

He might be gorgeous, but Bucky is a decent human being. He can talk to him. He _can_. It's nothing difficult, just a little, _Hey, man, I've seen you in here a lot, i got one'a these for me and figured you might want one too, so here you go_ , and then he can run away and hope he hadn't offended Cheekbones by trying and failing not to care.

But then he gets to the table, actually bumping it because he underestimates how fast he was walking, and he looks down into a pair of periwinkle eyes, and what comes out of his mouth is a garbled, "Hey."

Cheekbones is looking at him expectantly. "Hey?"

"I, uh," Bucky holds up the bag of pastries, shows it to Cheekbones, who looks from Bucky to it and back again. This really is some Looney tunes shit. Okay, Barnes. Recover. "I see you here all the time, but - I mean, I have, like, a full Trader Joe's worth of snacks in this bag, and I never actually see you eat, so I thought - do you like croissants?"

"You got me a croissant?" Cheekbones asks, looking a little bewildered, but - pleased? Bucky hopes he's not imagining that, fuck.

"Yes." He replies, and promptly blushes.

"I - thanks." Cheekbones smiles softly. "You can, uh - you can sit, if you want. If you've not got plans."

Sit? With this guy? The most gorgeous guy Bucky's ever seen? Count him _in_. He sets his satchel down carefully, and then the bag of pastries, letting Cheekbones clear his things up just a little bit, containing the chaos a little bit more so Bucky has some room. He reaches into the bag - he's wearing that long-sleeved shirt again, the royal blue one. Bucky decides it's his favourite; being able to see the muscles is cool, but that shirt. He would let Cheekbones do things to him in that shirt. Briefly, before he demands that he takes it off.

Speaking of which - no. The first bit.

"I'm Bucky," He says, watching as Steve tears bits off of the croissant with long fingers, obviously holding back from attacking it. Bucky takes his, and does the same, though with a little less enthusiasm.

"Steve." Cheekbones - Steve - says, and Bucky smiles a little. "I haven't seen you around here before, I don't think; what's your major?"

"Biomedical engineering." Bucky says. To Steve's confused frown, he says, "Pym sucks. Carter's way nicer."

Steve swallows, and then smiles softly. "Fair enough. I'm Politics - minoring in Law and Society, which I think might kill me, but," He shrugs.

"Wanna be president someday?" Bucky teases, immediately regretting it when Steve's face twists into a grimace.

"Honestly? I can't think of anything worse." He says.

Bucky tries very quickly to recover. Fuck, he's making a mess of this. It's Steve's fault. Stupid gorgeous Steve and his cheekbones and his jaw - holy hell, how did Bucky not notice that jaw before? - "So why Politics, then?"

"This country's kind of a shit show." Steve supplies. He looks guarded, like he's expecting Bucky to argue or laugh or something. "I don't want any part of it. I do, however, want to learn how to properly fight it."

"Gotta know your enemy." Bucky murmurs.

It earns him a smile that could light an entire fucking room. Bucky wants to make him smile like that again, all the time. "Exactly."

There's a slight pause whilst Bucky looks at the dazzling smile and Steve takes another bite of croissant, but Steve is the one to break it, saying, "Why biomedical engineering?"

"My dad lost a leg overseas." Bucky explains. "The prosthetic he got is great, and he took to it really well, but - it could be better, y'know? I could make it better, I just gotta... know how."

Steve nods thoughtfully, and then huffs softly. His croissant is gone, which Bucky honestly can't believe - Steve's a big guy, but where did he even put that?

"I have a seminar at 8, but... if you want to stay and study here for a while, you're more than welcome to." Steve says, smiling kind of sheepishly, which is cute except - a seminar?

"Wait - you have a seminar? You're not going home after this?" Bucky frowns.

Admittedly, Bucky has been called out for being a bit of a worrier mother-type before; he claims that it's not his fault, that it's just that his friends are idiots and they need someone who _isn't_ an idiot to look after them. Like right now. Steve spends 12 hours in the library and then goes about his day? Is he _insane_?

"Uh - no?" Steve says. "I don't do it often, I mean. Normally I go home after, get some sleep, but - well, I have a seminar this morning, and then football practice at like 4 - I always shower and get changed after that, and I eat before hand." He shrugs. "I'm not skipping meals or not bathing or anything."

"Oh my god." Bucky murmurs. He doesn't feel reassured in the slightest sense. "That's so - you can't do that. That's so unhealthy."

Steve just shrugs. "I work better at night anyway." He says.

Bucky huffs softly. All of his friends are idiots, apparently - is Steve his friend? Well, he is now. Bucky's going to make sure of it. "Just - make sure you get, like. Minimum 6 hours. Okay?"

"Yes, ma." Steve says softly, grinning a little. Bucky likes that look on him, he just wishes he wasn't being fucking stupid.

At 7.45, Steve stands up, having been methodically packing away his things for about ten minutes. Turns out he has a lot of things - Bucky supposes he has of things to learn.

"I - um. Is it weird that I enjoyed this? I mean studying is hell, but it's not so bad when you're - when you study with someone else." Steve says.

"That code for you want me to come back?" Bucky grins, feeling emboldened now - cocky. That's the word.

Steve grins. He's blushing, the tips of his ears a soft pink, and Bucky thinks it's adorable. "I wouldn't mind."

Bucky gives a little nod, uncapping one of his marker pens. He grabs Steve by the wrist and turns his arm over so he can write his number on the inside of his arm. He _knew_ buying those pastries was a good idea. Pastry solves everything.

"Text me when you get here." He says. Steve is blushing right the way down his neck now, a look that Bucky _loves_. He wants to trace that blush with his fingertips, his tongue, but no - focus, Barnes. He can't get a boner now, he's got a hell of a lot of studying to do.

He does, however, stop to watch Steve walk away, finally getting that coveted glance at his ass. And, yeah - it's just as great as he thought it was going to be.

~*~

Steve texts him at about 5.30:

[UNKNOWN NUMBER] Hey, I'm just heading over to Carter now, about 15 mins?  
[UNKNOWN NUMBER] Shall I get food?  
[UNKNOWN NUMBER] This is Steve, btw

Bucky reads the messages, which arrive in quick succession and annoy a girl at a nearby table, and he smiles softly.

[Me] Bring food and I'll pledge my undying love to you

Too much? Maybe. But hey, shy kids get nothing, that's what his mom used to tell him. Whilst he waits for a response, he adds Steve's number to his phone.

[Steve] Okay, so I'll avoid food

Bucky snorts softly, a sort-of laugh. Steve's a dork, that's what he's learning. Steve arrives after twenty minutes, which Bucky is about to call him out on until he sees the take-out boxes of food, which are definitely from the canteen in Stark House - which is strange, because Bucky is pretty sure you're not allowed to take food out of the dining hall.

"How did you get this?" He marvels.

Steve grins. He's wearing a red and white baseball shirt, now, something Bucky hasn't seen him in before. Bucky can see that his hair is a little fluffy, like it usually is, and he smells faintly of soap - he showers after football practice. Steve playing football. Steve getting sweaty playing football. Steve in the shower after football--

That's a thought he'll dedicate more time to later, though, because right now he's tucking into a box of spaghetti and meatballs, which tastes almost better than the meatballs Bucky's old Italian grandma used to make.

"Are these from Stark?" He asks around a mouthful of food. Must look super attractive, but Steve is kind of laughing, so maybe he looks - dorky? He can settle for that. So long as it's cute-dorky. When he nods, Bucky's eyes widen. "How did you get this outta there? They never let you take food with you. I should know, I lived there last year, tried to take my breakfast back upstairs with me to bed ever damn day."

Steve laughs a little louder at that, a deep, rich sound. Bucky smiles around a mouthful of pasta, because it's sort of infectious. Steve just shrugs. "The staff just like me, I guess. I'm polite, what can I say?"

And he's six foot two, blond, handsome. Could probably get away with murder if he really wanted to.

"what time you staying until?" Steve asks.

Bucky had gotten there at 6am. Yes, that's right, that's not a misprint - six in the am. In the morning. So honestly, right now, he's about ready to pass out. But... he wants to stay with Steve, just a little longer. He wants to collapse, but he wants to get to know him some more, talk to him, spend some time with him. He's got a crush - he's being an idiot. It's probably about time.

"I don't know," He shrugs. "like, 9?"

"Nu uh, come on," Steve says around a mouthful of lasagne, alternating between eating and unpacking his bag. "You got here really early this morning, you should go home. Can't live here."

"That's rich coming from you, punk," Bucky says, kicking him under the table.

Steve grins. "There's an exception to every rule." He says, to which Bucky rolls his eyes. "You don't gotta stay just because I brought you food."

_What if I wanna stay just because you're here?_ He thinks. Definitely doesn't say out loud. That would be a disaster.

"Fine, fine. Seven thirty." Bucky says. Steve checks his watch, and then smiles softly. That must suit him just fine, because he gets on with his work like their little debate is settled.

Bucky does his best to work until 7.30, but by 7 he's yawning his head off and his eyes feel like they're about to fall out of his damn head. Steve nudges him under the table, the toe of his converse digging into Bucky's shin. Bucky yawns once more, and looks at steve blearily.

"Go home, Buck." Steve says. "I'll see you in the morning."

Bucky can't even be bothered to argue. It's probably pathetic, getting tired at 7.30, but he doesn't care. He packs up his things and says a sleepy goodbye to steve, who looks as if he just won the lottery (Bucky has been told that he's been cute when he's sleepy, so he's aware of it, thanks, stop patronising him), and he trudges back across campus, yawning the entire way.

~*~

For the next few days, Bucky meets Steve on a morning, and then again in the evening. It's fine; it's not horrible, at least. He didn't know he was going to spend every day in the library when he first started out doing this, but still. It's fine. And funnily enough, he's getting a hell of a lot of work done. His notes are all nicely highlighted, things feel like they're going in. He actually knows the answers to his flashcards - it's great.

It's a damn miracle is what it is.

Because yes he's spending all day in the library, but he's spending at least 4 of those hours opposite Steve Rogers, who might just be the most perfect person Bucky has ever met. On Thursday he brings Bucky rainbow cupcakes - Steve had been to the LGBTQA+ De-Stress Session in the atrium of Fury Hall (because he's a member of the LGBTQA+ society, apparently, which makes Bucky want to lie down, just for a minute), and apparently free cupcakes was one of the suggested ways to de-stress. It works; Bucky spends fifteen minutes talking and laughing with Steve whilst dissecting his cupcake, which is fifteen minutes that he otherwise would have spent worrying about his Molecular Immunology final.

Bucky never, ever sees Steve outside of the library; mostly because he doesn't go anywhere other than the library, but partly because it doesn't come up. There's never any offer there. They have seemingly agreed that that's how they work; they meet in the library, study for an hour or two, then one of them goes home. Repeat after about ten hours.

But on Friday Steve sits down, and he seems a little... fidgety. Bucky doesn't know if they're in a place for him to call Steve out on it, so he waits.

He waits for a good hour, too, because steve seems very reluctant to share, until at last he blurts out, "Last practice was today."

Bucky looks at him. And?

"I mean, before exams." Steve explains. Bucky nods; the week before exams is when everything comes to a standstill - no one has anything the week before finals. He's just lucky that the engineering faculty are a) very generous and b) lazy enough to wrap everything up early and give them some extra time.

"That's... nice?" Bucky manages.

Steve blushes. "I just mean. Well, I'll be going back to a normal timetable. I won't have to be nocturnal anymore."

Bucky's heart sinks. So that's what it is. He should've known it wouldn't last; two weeks getting to know Steve, getting to spend time with him. The other shoe was always going to drop, huh?

"Oh. Well, this has been nice. I mean, thank you, y'know, for the food and stuff--"

"What?" Steve asks.

"You're going back to a normal timetable," Bucky says, repeating his words back to him. "So that's the end of this, right? It's fine, I mean, I guess we're going to be busy anyway--"

"No, you jerk." Steve says, and laughs, though his face is a gorgeous shade of crimson. "I was - I was trying to ask if... you wanted to keep meeting up. But, y'know. During the day."

"Oh." Bucky murmurs. "Oh, yeah - yes. I would. I'd like that."

He smiles, and Steve gives him a dopey smile in return. It's a really good smile. God, he's such an idiot, thinking Steve was... breaking up with him or something. Not that there's anything to break up, 'cause they're not together, but--

"But I was thinking - I mean, I don't know, I think we've been doing a lot of work," Steve says, looking at the tabletop as if he's talking to it directly. Bucky assumes he's talking to him, though. "Maybe - do you wanna watch a movie tomorrow night? I dunno if you'll be studying, or, but I thought - I mean, I still live in Stark, so it's not too far from here and--"

"I'd like that." Bucky nods. "I'd really like that, Steve."

Steve's answering smile looks like it might split his face in half. "Okay." He grins. "Okay, great. Um - is 8 okay? Just text me when you're outside and I can let you up."

"Sure." Bucky nods, and smiles, nudging Steve under the table with his foot.

They work for another few hours before Bucky declares he's leaving, and for the first time ever (in two weeks), Steve says he's coming with him. Huh. Bucky doesn't mind one bit; he does let Steve go in front of him, though, so he can get a look at his ass in those jeans before he follows him out, just a little bit giddy.

~*~

"Where you going, Sarge?"

"Yeah, it's almost 8 - ain't that your bedtime?"

"Ha ha, you're all _hilarious_." Bucky grouses. They make him sound like a grandpa. Bucky loves partying, okay, just not when he has, like, a million exams coming at him at once.

He's currently looking for his other shoe - he kicked them off when he got in the apartment the day before and now he can't find the left one. He has to physically lift Dernier out of his seat so that he can check underneath him, and--

"A ha!" He says triumphantly. He fucking knew someone was sitting on it - why did they look at him like he was crazy when he told them to get up?

"Seriously, though, where you going?" Gabe asks, looking up from his French History textbook.

"Just to a friend's." Bucky shrugs. "We're gonna watch a movie."

"Huh." Dum Dum says, and scratches his head. Bucky would tell him how much he looks like an orangutan when he does that, but Dum Dum powerlifts and Bucky isn't stupid enough to get himself tackled when he has to go out, like, _now_  to get to Steve's. "Hang on - if I'm here, and Jones is here, and Moritia, Falsworth and Dernier are here... who the hell are you going to see?"

"Oh, is it that Natasha chick? She's hot." Moritia says, a twizzler hanging out of his mouth as he looks over his notes at Bucky.

"It's not Natasha." He huffs. "I haven't got time to play Guess Who, okay, I'll be back later, try not to get into any trouble without me."

"It's a date!" Falsworth crows, falling off of his perch on the kitchen table in his excitement. He hits the ground with a thud, and Bucky hopes that it hurt. "Sarge has a--"

Bucky doesn't hear the rest because he's already closed the door.

It's not a date, Bucky knows that. They're just watching a movie. Just a movie - nothing special. Just two guys, two guy friends, just hanging out--

Is it a date?

Bucky's kind of dressed for it anyway. His v-neck clings to him in a way that's kind of obscene, and he's actually made an effort to style his hair for once (something he hasn't done since exam stress took over his life about three weeks prior). He looks good, if he does say so himself. He really hopes Steve is going to think so.

He texts him as he walks up to Stark Hall, a kind of big and intimidating building that supposedly isnt as big or intimidating as Howard Stark, its benefactor. Bucky doesn't much care; he likes living with the guys; he doesn't know if he could go back to living with a roommate. Or at least, not sharing an actual room with them.

Steve comes to the door in a shirt that is, at minimum, two sizes two small, and honestly Bucky doesn't get much lower than that because he gets caught looking at Steve's chest and he has to forcibly remind himself to look up. Jesus, he's a mess. Steve is grinning at him, though, so he can't be that bad.

"Come on up, Buck." He says, slipping inside whilst Bucky follows. Ah - skinny jeans. Bucky's starting to wish he'd looked down earlier. Although if this _is_  a date, skinny jeans aren't going to be too easy to get off--

Getting ahead of yourself, Barnes.

Steve leads Bucky up to his room, explaining how he has a single now and how he had to share with Tony Stark (yes, that Stark, yes I _know,_  he's a real dick when he wants to be) but this year he gets to share with a kid called Sam Wilson, who's away for the weekend.

"Ah," Bucky says, throat going dry. Oh, god.

Bucky sits on Steve's bed whilst he gets the television to work, looking at the artwork on the wall. It's mostly landscapes, but there's some of a woman, some of a few, random different people. They're all amazing, no matter who the subject is. Bucky reaches out to touch one of them. "Hey - did you do these?" He asks.

Steve spins around on his heels and then begins to blush. So that's a yes, then.

"They're real good, stevie." Bucky says. "How come you're not doing art?"

Steve shrugs. "It's a hobby. Gotta think about the practicalities."

"Ah, yes, because there's a lot more money to be made from dismantling the establishment than there is in art." Bucky teases, nudging Steve in the ribs when he clambers onto the bed too.

"The, uh - the tv's broken, so we can just... watch on the laptop?" Steve suggests.

Bucky's throat is once again the sahara desert. He nods dumbly. "Sure."

They pick a film to watch, and Bucky sees approximately none of it. He and Steve are so close, shoulders and hips and thighs lined up, the laptop balancing between them. Bucky can feel Steve's chest moving up and down, can smell the shampoo he uses. It's useless trying to focus on the movie, because then a muscle in Steve's leg twitches and Bucky feels it, and he's distracted all over again.

When the credits roll he's simultaneously grateful and disappointed. Now he doesn't have to sit so close to Steve, but now steve doesn't have to sit so close to him - he's going to move away, he's going to get up--

Bucky looks over at him, to suggest that they should watch another, and just as he does Steve's lips collide with his in a clumsy, desperate kind of kiss.

Bucky is so surprised that he can't move for a second, and before his brain and mouth can make the connection Steve is pulling away, looking like he wants the ground to swallow him up.

"I'm sorry," He blurts. "Is that not - i just thought - it wasn't, this isn't why I asked you here, I swear, I just--"

Bucky doesn't have the words to argue. He doesn't have words full stop, so he surges forward and kisses Steve again instead, their teeth clacking together momentarily, his hands framing Steve's face as Steve sits back, hands moving to Bucky's hips.

But that sends the laptop flying to the floor, thunking off the shitty carpet, and Bucky's eyes blow wide. Steve goes after it, falling onto the floor, and then he sits up, grinning, "It's okay!"

"Good," Bucky nods. "Get back up here, you dork."

Steve grins, all too eager to do as he's told. He pushes Bucky back onto the bed, hovering over him as they kiss. This is pretty much exactly how he thought kissing Steve would be - sweet and soft, a slide of tongue and hands over his skin, brushing just under his shirt.

Not that they do anymore than that; they make out lazily for what feels like an hour, well after the sun has set and Bucky had said he would be home. The boys are going to rib him either way, so he might as well stay here, right?

If Steve wants him, of course.

They end up lying on their sides, facing each other; the clock on Steve's bedside table says that it's 11. Huh. Not as late as he thought.

"We could watch another movie?" Bucky suggests, hoping that he doesn't look too - well, hopeful.

Steve grins, kissing him one more time. "Sure."

~*~

Bucky wakes up early the next morning; there's an alarm going off, blaring at him, and he groans. Steve is up first, though, and he scrambles to grab his phone, turning it off after a moment.

"Sorry." He grimaces as he lays back down. "Shitty phone. It does that."

Bucky doesn't respond, because he's too busy looking at Morning Steve, with his mussed-up hair and his pillow-creased cheek. They'd fallen asleep in their clothes, and Bucky feels kind of gross - he's never been one of those guys to keep his underwear on for more than a day. Gross.

"I should get going." He yawns, stretching a little.

"Yeah?" Steve asks.

Bucky nods. "My roommates are gonna be insufferable, but yeah. I better."

Steve nods, reaching out to move Bucky's hair out of his face. "Five more minutes?"

Bucky grins, and nods, shifting closer to wind his arm around Steve. "Five more minutes."

It's more like an hour, in the end, but who's counting?

The Committee of Shitty Roommates, as it turns out, who are assembled on the couch when he comes in at 9am. 9am on a sunday, and they're all up and looking pretty well put together. Morons.

"Sarge got some!" Moritia grins.

"Falsworth, pay up," Dum Dum demands, and Falsworth huffs, reaching for his wallet.

"Fuck all of you," Bucky says, going to get a cup of coffee. "I didn't get any, and i ain't mad about it."

"You were out all night, Jimmy," Dum Dum counters. "If you weren't getting your rocks off, where were you?"

"How old are you, twelve?" Bucky asks him, rolling his eyes. "I was with a friend. We made out a little. A lot. It's fine."

"Sarge has a crush." Gabe grins, looking around at the others, who start slowly grinning too.

"Sarge has a crush!" Moritia repeats.

"He's in love." Dernier croons.

"Fuck all of you." Bucky mutters, heading off to his room. Admittedly, they aren't wrong.

~*~

On Monday, he and Steve meet up at the library, as per the plan they had made on Friday. It's weird getting to spend the entire day with him. They sit at their table and work, or they kick each other under it, or they go for walks and make out against the journal archives. They get a hell of a lot of work done, actually; Bucky actually feels pretty good about what he usually refers to as _impending doom._

"What's your schedule like?" Steve asks him. Bucky grimaces.

"Tissue engineering lab Monday morning, molecular immunology monday afternoon, Anatomy on tuesday, materials on thursday and biomechanics on friday morning."

Steve grimaces too. At least it sounds as awful as it feels, then. "What about you?"

"Poli theory on monday, socialism on tuesday, the constitution and civil liberties on wednesday and gender in law on friday." Steve sighs.

Yeah, Bucky gets it. "Two more weeks, Stevie. Then we're free."

"Yeah, until the next round." He mutters, which earns a laugh from Bucky.

"Very fatalistic." He grins. "Hey - how about we have another movie night on friday?"

"Don't you wanna go out with your friends on friday? Celebrate?" Steve asks, frowning softly.

"You are my friend." bucky grins. Hopefully soon to be his more than friend. But then he realises that, actually, maybe Steve was trying to blow him off. Let him down gently. Which, fuck, okay - he wishes he had just come out and said it, but-- "Unless, I mean, if you have other plans--"

"Oh! No." Steve shakes his head. "No, friday. After the exam." Steve smiles softly. "Movie night." He grins.

They both know they're not going to be watching any movies. Maybe after.

~*~

Hell. Bucky is in hell. This is it, he thinks, as he trudges up to his final exam on friday morning. He's an empty shell of a man, a vessel of nothing but stress and caffeine. He just has to get through this. Two hours til freedom.

It kind of helps to know that Steve, and all of his friends, are also suffering right now. Misery sure does love company.

The paper turns out to be pretty easy, actually. Bucky is amazed, but his friends aren't, when he comes home after and tells them how it went.

"Dude, you were in the library every damn day. Evidently you boy's a good influence." Gabe teases.

"Speaking of--" Bucky says, looking at the clock. He and Steve had agreed 8 again, to give them both time to catch up with their respective friends and then duck out. The guys try to tease him, but Bucky just gives them a well directed finger and leaves, trying not to _run_  to Stark Hall. He's free and there's a cute guy waiting for him, what's not to be pleased about?

Said cute guy is waiting outside the building, leaning against the wall, but he pushes off when he sees Bucky. Bucky does't hesitate - he leans in and he kisses Steve, arms winding around his neck. "We're free." He grins.

"Mm," Steve hums.

"Wanna go celebrate?"

"Thought you'd never ask, Buck."

Bucky grins even wider, letting Steve tug him inside the building. It's a pretty good way to celebrate, honestly.

**Author's Note:**

> I sort of love biomedical engineering major!bucky and politics major!steve. Thanks for reading!


End file.
